In reading the article as published by Huffington Post, it is evident that an underlying problem is present in all of their arguments. What is that theme – that the Bible is not the inspired Word of God. The whole argument is an attack on the authenticity and accuracy of the Word of God. The bottom line really is: Do we have the Word that God that He once delivered, or do we not?
In an earlier post, I gave seven reasons why we can know that Jesus was definitely not married. Now, it is time to take it a little further and ask the question, Do we have the Word of God today, or is it something that is evolutionary, something to be reinterpreted every time a shovel full of dirt is overturned or when another book comes to light from antiquity?
First, here is something to consider. God wanted the average man and woman to be able to understand His message to mankind – because our salvation depends on an accurate message. In order to protect it and to ensure that its message of God's love to mankind and of redemption was preserved, God gave several warnings against altering it in any way.
We see the first of these warnings in Deuteronomy 4:2: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." God spoke directly through Moses, at times, when He gave to the people of Israel His Word. God did not have an inability to express the thoughts of His heart. He meant exactly what He said and no man, no matter how talented, can say it better.
A second warning was given just a few pages away. We see this in Deuteronomy 12:32: "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." It really is saying the same thing.
Later, God further repeated this same command through different human writers. David wrote many times that the Word of God is eternal and will never be changed – and never needs to be changed, as in Psalm 12:6,7: "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever."
In Psalm 89:34, God said, through David: "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." The meaning here is clear – God will never alter what He has said. Here it is again in Psalm 119:89,90: "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth." In this last verse, God uses the stability of the earth itself as an example of His unchanging Word.
There are many more verses that show the eternal nature of God's Word. Here is another warning, this time from Solomon, that God's Word is not to be tampered with: "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar" (Proverbs 30:5,6).
Now, if you do not yet see a connection between the eternal Word of God and this argument, consider this. These verses all point to the fact that His Word is not to be changed because of new (or old) findings in science, archeology, education, etc. There are no lost Gospel books. God’s eternal wisdom is greater than our own, and He does not need to consult us about anything He writes and declares to be truth. He also is able to preserve his Word through the ages.
More on this topic coming soon.
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Photo Credit: Unchanged; by Ryk Neethling at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rykneethling/5811680700/sizes/s/
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Keywords: Jesus, married, marriage, Word of God, eternal, Lost Gospel